Chapter Four

The First Appearance

Lila

We were going to make a public appearance for the first time today, and all I could think of was my mom and everything that could possibly go wrong. But I needed to focus on getting through this. 

The dress they gave me was stunning.

Deep emerald silk, cinched at the waist, elegant but not showy. The kind of gown you could only wear once in your life, and only if that life belonged to someone else.

I stood in front of the mirror in Luca’s penthouse dressing room, my reflection looking back like a stranger. I barely recognized myself hair styled in soft waves, lips painted a delicate rose, diamond earrings I hadn’t dared to touch dangling from my ears.

The woman in the mirror looked like she belonged at a gala.

Too bad she didn’t feel like she belonged anywhere at all.

A soft knock came at the door, followed by Luca’s voice. “Car’s downstairs, we are ready.”

I swallowed hard and stepped out.

Luca stood in the hallway already dressed in a perfectly tailored black tux. He looked at me slowly, from head to toe, without a word. His expression unreadable, but something flickered in his eyes.

“What?” I asked, folding my arms, suddenly self conscious.

“Nothing,” he said smoothly. “You look like someone the world would believe I chose.” He said. 

I wasn’t sure whether it was a compliment or an insult. It felt more like an insult. .

He extended his arm. “Ready, Mrs. Deluca?”

I forced myself to nod and placed my hand in the crook of his elbow. It was warm and solid, and the weight of it grounded me. A strange comfort, given the man beside me was the reason I was walking into this nightmare.

The gala was already in full swing when we arrived.

Cameras flashed as we stepped out of the car. Paparazzi shouted our names, but Luca moved with deliberate slowness, guiding me down the carpet like we were royalty. His fingers never loosened from mine.

He smiled. I did my best to imitate it.

Inside, the ballroom glowed with opulence chandeliers glittered above us like starlight, and a string quartet played something delicate and expensive. Waiters in black vests glided through the room with champagne flutes, and every woman in sight looked like they stepped out of a fashion spread.

All eyes turned to us.

I felt them, like heat under my skin. The stares. The whispers. The unspoken question in everyone’s expression: That’s her? That’s the girl he chose to marry?

Luca leaned in, his breath brushing my temple. “Keep your head high. You’re not some orphan in rags. You’re my wife.”

The word still didn’t feel real.

We made polite conversation with a handful of investors and board members. Luca was smooth, poised, perfectly in control. Every so often, his fingers would brush my lower back, subtle but firm, reminding me to stay close, to keep the illusion airtight.

I smiled when I was supposed to. Nodded when expected. But inside, I was screaming.

I wanted to be with my mother for her first appointment with her new doctor, but instead I was here faking smiles to people I didn't even know. 

And then I saw her.

Vanessa.

She was even more beautiful in person. Honey blonde hair, impossibly tall, draped in red satin like she belonged on a magazine cover. Her diamond necklace probably cost more than my mother’s entire medical bill. She was more beautiful in person. 

She was laughing when our eyes met. The kind of laugh that made men lean closer.

But when she saw me, something darkened behind her expression.

“Oh.” Her lips parted slightly as she made her way toward us.

Luca straightened. I felt his body go still beside me.

“Luca,” she said silkily, her voice like melted sugar. “I didn’t know you’d be here tonight.”

“Vanessa.” He gave a tight nod. “You look... radiant as always.”

Her eyes slid over to me. Her gaze was sharp. Curious. Dismissive.

“And you must be the wife,” she said it like it was a joke. And I hated it and her too. 

“Lila,” I replied quietly, forcing myself not to shrink under her scrutiny.

She tilted her head. “Well. Aren’t you a surprise.”

I stiffened.

Luca stepped in, voice like velvet over steel. “She’s more than that.”

“Of course she is.” Vanessa’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “How lucky for you. Trading one headline for another. You’ve always had a talent for theatrics Luca.”

My throat tightened. I suddenly felt like I was twelve years old, playing dress up in someone else’s life.

“You must be very brave,” she added, turning to me again. “To marry into a world like this. Luca’s not exactly known for being tender and you are not really his usual type, I must admit.”

My heart pounded. But I refused to break under her gaze.

“I’m not here for tenderness,” I said, surprising even myself. “I’m here because I know exactly who he is and I love him, I choose him." i added smiling as I looked up at Luca whose face was expressionless." I might not be his type, but I must be doing something right for him to want to marry me. Don't you think?" I asked unable to stop my sarcasm. 

Luca’s eyes cut to me, sharp with something unreadable. Like he didn't want me to say that. 

For a split second, something in Vanessa faltered. But she recovered quickly, offering a smile that dripped with poison. “Well, then. I suppose you’ll do just fine.”

And with that, she turned and melted into the crowd, trailing perfume and power behind her.

The silence between us hung heavy. 

“She’s bold,” I finally said, swallowing hard. "I can see why you like her. She speaks her mind."

“She’s jealous,” Luca replied, a grin spread across his smug handsome face. 

I turned to him. “Of me? Really?”

“She isn't used to not being the centre of attention, and tonight all eyes are on you" Luca whispered in my ears, I could feel his warm breath